A miniature oscillating microbalance for sampling ice and volcanic ash from a small airborne platform

Airey, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9784-0043, Harrison, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0693-347X, Nicoll, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5580-6325, Williams, P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9713-9820 and Marlton, G. (2017) A miniature oscillating microbalance for sampling ice and volcanic ash from a small airborne platform. Review of Scientific Instruments, 88 (8). 086108. ISSN 0034-6748 doi: 10.1063/1.4998971

Abstract/Summary

A lightweight and low power oscillating microbalance for in situ sampling of atmospheric ice and volcanic ash is described, for airborne platforms. Using a freely-exposed collecting wire fixed at only one end to a piezo transducer, the instrument collects airborne material. Accumulated mass is determined from change in natural frequency of the wire. The piezo transducer is used in a dual mode to both drive and detect the oscillation. Three independent frequency measurement techniques are implemented with an on-board microcontroller: a frequency sweep, a Fourier spectral method, and a phase-locked loop. These showed agreement to ±0.3 Hz for a 0.5 mm diameter collecting wire 120 mm long, flown to 19 km altitude on a weather balloon. The instrument is well suited to disposable use with meteorological radiosondes, to provide high resolution vertical profiles of mass concentration.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/71788
Identification Number/DOI	10.1063/1.4998971
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Publisher	AIP
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